INDIANAPOLIS – Oklahoma runs the Tampa 2, or the Tomlin 2, as those in Pittsburgh figure to re-name the defense of the Steelers.

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And the pride and joy of that Sooners’ defense, Big 12 Player of the Year Rufus Alexander, would make be the perfect Derrick Brooks-type weakside linebacker.
With his outstanding coverage skills, Alexander would make a perfect chip for Mike Tomlin’s defensive transition.

But, alas, the Steelers have not spoken with Alexander. They have, on the other hand, spoken with Adam Carriker.

“They see me as a 3-4 end,” Carriker said.

And they’ve spoken with Jay Moore.

“I met their whole staff,” the Nebraska “tweener” defensive end/OLB said. “And we went in depth about playing the 3-4.”

And the Steelers spoke with Anthony Spencer and Jarvis Moss. Both said the same thing: The Steelers are looking for defensive ends to make the move to 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL.

Still.

A source with the Steelers made the admission that, yes, the Steelers are sticking with their 3-4 defense, even though their new coach, Tomlin, is an avowed Cover 2 devotee.

“We’ll run a 4-3 at times, only if we have that specialty type player,” said the source. “Otherwise, we’re still a 3-4.”

The Steelers don’t expect Carriker to still be on the draft board when they pick 15th, but several linebackers will be. The most attractive might be Spencer, who played linebacker as a sophomore before becoming one of the nation’s most feared pass rushers as a 6-2, 262-pound defensive end at Purdue. He led the nation with 26.5 tackles for loss last season, and was also a finalist for the Lott Trophy, a local award that honors athletic achievement and character.

“I didn’t win it,” he said. “But I was very grateful to be on the list. I’m a pretty happy go lucky guy. I have a pretty positive attitude most of the time. I treat people right I guess. I don’t have any real enemies out there. I think I’m a pretty good guy.”

But he made a comment that won’t endear him to “Peezy” and the rest of the Steelers’ linebackers. When asked to gauge the Steelers’ level of interest, Spencer said: “They seemed pretty interested because they do have an older linebacking corps.”

The truth hurts. But with 30-year-old Joey Porter a potential contract problem, and Clark Haggans and James Farrior creeping into their 30s, the Steelers are in need of fresh blood at the position.

“I’m pretty comfortable with my hand in the dirt, but if they want me to do it, stand up or anything, I’m ready for a chance,” Spencer said. “A lot of Purdue guys have been successful moving to linebacker.”

Florida has a bit of a history with pass rushers as well. Moss, the 6-6½, 250-pound defensive end, gladly welcomed comparisons to Jevon Kearse. But no one asked him if he remembered Huey Richardson.

Moss had two sacks in the national title game; he also was suspended for a game a week after blocking two kicks to preserve a one-point win over South Carolina at midseason.

“I tested positive to marijuana on the 15th of October,” Moss said. “It was a real humbling experience for me. It came after the game of my life and I feel like it was God’s way of bringing me back down to earth. It was something I definitely learned from. My coaches stuck by me and we stuck together as a family. I regained their trust and we went on to do some pretty special things the rest of the year.”

Another defensive end who’s interesting the Steelers as a 3-4 OLB is Moore, who came on strong late in the season. He had three sacks in the Senior Bowl and forced two fumbles.

“They asked me to perform the linebacker drills and I’ll be glad to do it,” Moore said of the Steelers. “I told them I’ll do it at my pro day, too, and they said they’ll have somebody there.”

Moore weighs 275 and has been running 4.6 40s during speed training workouts. He said he’d drop 10 pounds or so if the Steelers draft him. Moore is considered a high second-round pick.

By Jim Wexell
SteelCityInsider.com
Posted Feb 25, 2007

Pretty solid choices on the DE's moving to OLB. Its good to hear we've talked to Spencer.

BlitzburghRockCity

02-25-2007, 09:59 PM

:woot: I love that we're still looking for guys who can play the 34 defense as a converted DE to LB. The zone blitz lives on in Pittsburgh ! No we're not going back into that whole debate again from before either :lol:

one of the nation’s most feared pass rushers as a 6-2, 262-pound defensive end at Purdue. He led the nation with 26.5 tackles for loss last season, and was also a finalist for the Lott Trophy, a local award that honors athletic achievement and character.

I love this pick, he'd be an awesome addition to the black n gold !

K Train

02-25-2007, 10:02 PM

**** it, spencer deserves the 15th pick, its not a reach its a neccessary action

DIESELMAN

02-25-2007, 10:06 PM

**** it, spencer deserves the 15th pick, its not a reach its a neccessary action

I agree :bigthumb: Who cares what other people think as far as reaching. I'd rather reach for him then lose him period.

BlackGold4vr

02-25-2007, 10:07 PM

If we know about the marijuana incident......then so do the Rooneys. Thats bad for Moss's chances of being a Steeler! Not saying that you have to be an angel to be a Steeler, but character is a big deal to the Rooneys! They like to draft people who will make the right choices in life and will not become distractions to the team. I think this article points strongly at their interest in Spencer! They don't believe Cariker will be there when they pick and he is also better suited for DE than OLB! Spencer is a beast and he is a good fit! Would love to see the welcome the Steeler linebackers would give him in spring training after his old men comment! Players from the U (as Michael Irving calls them) have always had a rep for being partiers who dabble in illegal substances. Shall we make a list or will you concede me this fact? I like where it looks like things are headed. :bigthumb:

:smoking:

BlitzburghNation

02-25-2007, 10:17 PM

:iagree: with B&G 4ever ! I'm still hoping OKOYE falls to us though :popcorn:

K Train

02-25-2007, 10:27 PM

i KNOW spencer will be there at 15 and i think passing on him would be stupid, he may not be the best OLB "prospect" in the ratings but i think he could be the best olb "player" in the rankings. Ive heard NOTHING BUT GOOD about him from everyone whos mentioned his name, and for Levi Brown to say hes by far the best defender hes gona against says a TON, brown is a beast.

If we know about the marijuana incident......then so do the Rooneys. Thats bad for Moss's chances of being a Steeler! Not saying that you have to be an angel to be a Steeler, but character is a big deal to the Rooneys! They like to draft people who will make the right choices in life and will not become distractions to the team. I think this article points strongly at their interest in Spencer! They don't believe Cariker will be there when they pick and he is also better suited for DE than OLB! Spencer is a beast and he is a good fit! Would love to see the welcome the Steeler linebackers would give him in spring training after his old men comment! Players from the U (as Michael Irving calls them) have always had a rep for being partiers who dabble in illegal substances. Shall we make a list or will you concede me this fact? I like where it looks like things are headed. :bigthumb:

:smoking:I agree on Moss to a certain extent, yeah the Rooneys are looking for players with character not character players. They did give Holmes a second chance but he was already signed with the team. If thats Moss's first offense they might look at it different, don't know if hes been in any other kind of trouble :dunno: I still like Spencer a helluva lot better then any of these other guys though. As far as his comment, thats the spark the rest of the LB's will need come training camp :banana:

BlitzburghRockCity

02-25-2007, 11:12 PM

That would be an awesome problem to have if Okoye and Spencer both fell into our laps. That's a win-win situation for us having to choose between those 2 guys.

Black@Gold Forever32

02-25-2007, 11:15 PM

I hate to keep tooting my own horn.lol But I brought up Spencer a long time ago and I'm glad my guy is getting the attention.

K Train

02-25-2007, 11:18 PM

hell i "toot my own horn" every day about everything lol

DIESELMAN

02-25-2007, 11:20 PM

I hate to keep tooting my own horn.lol But I brought up Spencer a long time ago
Yeah the checks in the mail...:lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm glad my guy is getting the attention.
Lets hope he doesn't get to much attention, especially by the teams ahead of us that have D needs as well.

Black@Gold Forever32

02-25-2007, 11:20 PM

hell i "toot my own horn" every day about everything lol

No not you K Train.lol I just liked Spencer alot when I watched him this year and I thought he was a player that could help the Steelers. I never thought he would be considered at 15 though. But I would be happy if Anthony Spencer ended up becoming a Steeler.

Black@Gold Forever32

02-25-2007, 11:21 PM

Yeah the checks in the mail...:lol: :lol: :lol:

Lets hope he doesn't get to much attention, especially by the teams ahead of us that have D needs as well.

lol Thats funny **** there Diesel.

Yea I hope Spencer doesn't move to high on the draft board.

K Train

02-25-2007, 11:27 PM

i doubt he'll move up to high that we wont be able to get him, no one ahead of us needs him, especially with adams and anderson

BlackGold4vr

02-25-2007, 11:54 PM

The teams ahead of us have varying needs! We know that a couple QB's, OT's, RB's, DE's, WR's will be picked ahead of us. No way that someone snags Spencer ahead of Gaines Adams, Amobi Okoye and Jamaal Anderson. There are a couple other names that I also suspect would go ahead of Spencer. Like Alan Branch and Charles Johnson. I have no worries about him being there if Tomlin and Colbert want him! I hope they don't pick Adam Caricker because I think he is an Aaron Smith clone. Why do we need another Aaron Smith? Not that there is anything wrong with Smith. I just don't think Caricker adds another dimension to our defense like Spencer does! I also think that if they are sure that he is the player they want that they shouldn't risk losing him by moving down........just take him at 15! Experts may say we reached but who cares what they say when Spencer is blowing up plays in the backfield against the Ravens next year? I think the (secret plans) on whether they plan to keep Starks will play the deciding role on whether we take an OL in the 2nd round or the 3rd. We lose Starks we would have to grab a Grubbs or Blalock with the 2nd pick. We keep Starks they could go with a RB in the second and OL in the 3rd. God, I can't believe we have 2 more months to speculate! Of course Tomlin and Colbert would never drop hints or reveal their strategy.......that would be dumb! Until then I guess we will do a lot more of this :deadhorse:

K Train

02-25-2007, 11:59 PM

damnit draft time makes me anxious

Black@Gold Forever32

02-26-2007, 12:14 AM

damnit draft time makes me anxious

I know and it sucks in a way.:bluelol:

House of Steel

02-26-2007, 12:21 AM

I WANT SPENCER!!!!

BlitzburghNation

02-26-2007, 12:25 AM

[QUOTE=BlackGold4vr;74646 Until then I guess we will do a lot more of this :deadhorse:[/QUOTE]

:lol: :popcorn: :lol:

DIESELMAN

02-26-2007, 12:29 AM

The teams ahead of us have varying needs! I hope they don't pick Adam Caricker because I think he is an Aaron Smith clone. Why do we need another Aaron Smith? Not that there is anything wrong with Smith. I just don't think Caricker adds another dimension to our defense like Spencer does!
I agree, out of the 14 teams ahead of us 3-5 teams need a OLB/DE, with a couple of those needing DT more then the other. I'm pretty sure Spencer will be there for us but added hype does strange things to some GM's. As far as Carriker goes I agree I don't really want to see us getting him. I've heard the comparisons to Smith also and like you said theres nothing wrong with Smith but theres nothing great about him either.